The ground test stand and aerospike engine for the Demonstrator 3 rocket are ready for tests at ARCA Space Corporation. The effort was completed in 60 days since the start of fabrication. The system will perform a series of ground tests that will ultimately qualify the engine for flight. After the ground tests, the same engine will be integrated into the Demonstrator 3 rocket that will perform a suborbital space flight up to an altitude of 120 km above the New Mexico desert. It will be the first ever flight of a linear aerospike engine and the first ever space flight of an aerospike engine. The engine, with a sea level thrust of 4.2 tons, uses hydrogen peroxide 70% as monopropellant. Despite low energy propellant, the rocket is able to reach space due to the use of an extremely lightweight tank and high efficiency aerospike engine. Full press release here.

The Haas 2CA is a Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) rocket, that is using a linear aerospike rocket engine. The aerospike engine was extensively tested on the ground by NASA and Rocketdyne and it was a strong contender for the Space Shuttle. It was also part of NASA’s Venture Star, a Single Stage to Orbit vehicle. Due to schedule and budget constraints, the Space Shuttle received a classic bell shaped nozzle engine and the Venture Star was canceled before getting to see an actual flight. Hence, the aerospike engine never saw a space flight to this day. In March 2017 however, ARCA Space Corporation, brought this technology back into the public’s attention, by introducing the Haas 2CA Single Stage to Orbit rocket, equipped with the Executor Aerospike linear rocket engine.

Ground and vacuum tests are scheduled at ARCA and NASA’s Johnson/WSTF for the Haas 2CA engine. However, ARCA wants to gather more data about how the aerospike technology performs in flight, before the launch of the Haas 2CA, scheduled for 2018 from NASA’s Wallops Test Facility, in Virginia. This is where the Demonstrator 3 rocket comes in, continuing the tradition of ARCA’s previous demonstrator rockets.

Demonstrator 3 will perform a suborbital space flight up to an altitude of 100 km above the New Mexico desert in August 2017.

Soon we are going to know if the hopes and dreams of generations of aerospace engineers, in their pursuit to create what is supposed to be the most efficient rocket engine in the world, will materialize. We hope to confirm that rocket engines that are significantly more fuel efficient than the current engines are achievable and they can lead the way to the creation of Single Stage to Orbit rockets, that are more cost efficient and responsive.

“By sending the Demonstrator 3 rocket in space using a super cold engine, with only 250°C instead of 3500°C in the reaction chamber, paired with the aerospike technology, we are going to demonstrate the impressive potential of the aerospike. The Haas 2CA Single Stage to Orbit is just the beginning of a new generation of space vehicle, shaped by innovation that will generate lower cost. We are going to answer one of the industry’s most asked questions: can an aerospike deliver in flight the pressure compensation generated by altitude variation and deliver the expected performance by saving fuel? We want to pick up where NASA left off and prove that this technology is actually the way to go for space flights. We are confident that the aerospike engine combined with composite material fuel tanks and dense fuels will significantly lower the costs for orbital and suborbital launches. We truly believe that the answer for cost reduction of space flight is innovation, not trying to make old technologies a little bit more efficient. This will never generate significant price drop of space launches, but merely small improvements. With this philosophy in mind we expect to increase the registered value of our company from its current $20 million to at least $200 millions by 2019.” said Dumitru Popescu, ARCA CEO.

March 29, 2017 - Haas 2CA Single Stage to Orbit announced

ARCA Space Corporation is announcing the Haas 2CA, an innovative orbital launcher capable of placing itself, along with its payload, entirely into low Earth orbit without using multiple stages like current space vehicles. This kind of vehicle is known as being Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO). The Haas 2CA, named after Austrian-Romanian medieval rocket pioneer Conrad Haas (1509-1579), uses a linear aerospike engine that is around 30% more fuel efficient than the current rocket engines. It also uses ARCA’s highly advanced composite material propellant tanks that were tested by the company in the past 18 years. The rocket is fueled by hydrogen peroxide and kerosene, non-cryogenic, nontoxic propellants. ARCA Space Corporation is collaborating with NASA's Kennedy, Ames, Wallops, Marshall, Stennis, and Johnson Space Centers for the Cooperative Opportunity Program, aiming to increase the flight readiness of the vehicle for the first flight scheduled in 2018 from Wallops Flight Facility. ARCA is also discussing with Spaceport America regarding the possibility to launch the Haas 2CA vehicle from New Mexico. The Haas 2CA is designed to deliver the following results:
- Payload to LEO: 100kg (220lbs);
- Responsiveness: 24h;
- Cost/launch: $1,000,000;
- Cost/kg (lb): $10,000 ($4,545).

March 24, 2016 - ArcaBoard among top luxury vehicles showcased at Top Marques event in Monaco

ArcaBoard personal flying device was showcased at Top Marques prestigious event that took place between April 14th and 17th in Monaco. Live flight demonstration was performed by ARCA CEO Dumitru Popescu in front of Prince Albert II of Monaco and other top government officials and in front of journalists from many countries that attended the event. Participants at the event also had the opportunity visit ARCA show stand, to see ArcaBoard close up and to discuss with ARCA personnel. ArcaBoard was presented among other prestigious luxury vehicles from Europe and United States such as Aston Martin, Lexus, Jaguar, Porsche, Maserati and others.

ArcaBoard, the personal flying machine that fascinated people all over the world with its December release, is pushing the imagination further today by demonstrating its flying and maneuvering capabilities on its rapid move towards production. Although the official introduction of the ArcaBoard to the international market will be on April 14, 2016 at Monaco's Top Marques event, orders can already be placed and secured on ARCA Space's website.

The company has worked diligently to lower the cost of the ArcaBoard in its pursuit of making a product that will be available to as many people as possible. ARCA has secured strategic partnerships with US and Chinese suppliers like Southwest Composite Works Inc. and Eco Molding Co. Originally priced at $19,900, The ArcaBoard can now be sold at $14,900 thanks to these partnerships. The orders that were already placed at the initial price will be shipped as scheduled, and the price difference will be reimbursed.

ARCA has also made battery packs available for the ArcaBoard, extending its flying capability by simply changing the depleted battery pack with a fully charged one in less than one minute.